Underground Rainbow
by GlowGlowBat
Summary: A special event is taking place, and when two seconds years offer to take their friends along, things get a bit... complicated.
1. Chapter 1 The festival

A/N: Since _**Unseal**_ is almost finished and I'm listening to the song that inspired this, I thought 'fuck it, I wanna write'. So here we go, my new fic that is intended to be only five chapters. This came into being when I was listening to a song that I really liked, but I don't know the title so I can't really recommend it. It's on my profile, so if you wanna hear it, the title's up there. This was mostly because of the picture, though, so not much will be in relation to the lyrics. Hence the title, but that'll come into effect later.

**Underground Rainbow**

**Chapter 1: The festival  
**

The skies were gloomy, the sounds of pouring rain echoing through the silent club room. While practice had been cancelled due to the rain, the team really had nothing better to do, and none of them were willing to go back out into the rain, thus deciding to wait for the storm to pass.

Hiyoshi sighed, his arms growing cold from where they lay folded across the windowsill. Choutarou glanced curiously at him, but returned to his book. The rain always made his friend depressed, so he wasn't surprised to hear another sigh. The shorter boy suddenly straightened out his back, looking out curiously.

"The rains really comin' down." He mumbled, if only to keep the others from overhearing.

"Mm." Choutarou hummed, flipping the pages of his book. He looked up to see Gakuto and Shishido arguing over their board game, Jirou falling asleep between them. Oshitari was helping Atobe with paperwork, while Kabaji worked on the math assignment he recognized from class.

"It's really gloomy and stuff." His friend continued, oddly enough.

"Mm."

"Doesn't look like it's gonna let up soon."

"Mm."

"I can see the flag."

At this, Choutarou turned to look out with him, noticing the red flag high in the air, untouched by the rain. He smiled.

"It's almost time, huh." He said, a little too loud for Hiyoshi's liking. The shorter boy held a finger to his lips with furrowed brows, signalling to lower his voice, but the damage had been done. Far too soon for Choutarou to cover his mouth.

"Almost time for what?" Shishido asked, looking at their two kohai. Hiyoshi ignored the question, opting to stare out the window at the flowing red cloth. Choutarou looked between them, leaning on his friend's shoulder.

"It's nothing, Shishido-sempai." He smiled. Shishido raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anymore. Gakuto, however, felt the need to pry into his younger teammate's buisiness once again, and pounced on both light-haired boys.

"You guys keeping secrets from your sempai?" He asked jokingly, arms around their necks. While it was meant to be a joke, both boy stiffened and stayed quiet, not making eye contact. "Wait, seriously?"

At this, Atobe looked up. "Your not allowed to keep secrets, it's a team rule." Hiyoshi raised an eyebrow.

"Since when?"

"Since now."

The younger boy grumbled something inaudible. The silver-haired captain turned his attention to Choutarou, who had managed to detach his sempai's arms from around their neck. He looked between his captain and his friend, before tapping Hiyoshi on the shoulder when Gakuto got up. The shorter boy leaned in.

"They never said we couldn't tell anyone, it won't hurt to at least say something." He whispered. Hiyoshi thought it over.

"Fine," He mumbled. "But watch what you say, or this could end badly."

Choutarou nodded, turning to the others, who were watching them curiously.

"Well, how do I say this." He started, rubbing the back of his neck. "There's, uh, this festival every year that we go to, to 'help out' with one of the stalls. It's only for a week, but it's always at random when it happens."

"A festival?" Jirou said, his interest rising with every word. Choutarou nodded.

"We went through a lot of trouble to get a stall there, but it's pretty popular." Hiyoshi said, closing his eyes and falling back onto Choutarou's lap. "There are a lot of... people... in costumes there, too." He paused at the 'people' part, but no one seemed to notice. The team showed lots of interest in their apparent line of work, and if he knew them well enough...

"Can we go?" Jirou perked up, dropping his cards onto the floor. His eyes shone with glee and he was sure if it was anyone else, he'd have knocked them over the head. The others seemed to have the same question in mind, by the looks in their eyes.

Hiyoshi and Choutaoru exchanged worried looks. Should they? It wasn't exactly a... 'normal' festival, and they weren't sure how the other guests and stall owners would react to them.

"...We'll ask permission. Today's the first day, so it'll be really busy. Can you wait til tomorrow?" Hiyoshi said carefully. He was well aware of the danger he could be putting them in, but by the look in Choutarou's eye, he could tell his friend wanted the team there too.

After all, it _was_ pretty fun.

xXxXxXx

Hiyoshi grunted as he lifted himself onto the back of Choutarou's bike. He held the umbrella above their heads, shielding them from the rain. Choutarou looked over his shoulder at him.

"Are you sure it's a good idea?" He asked. It was quite a surprise to hear his friend make such a suggestion back at the club house, but he was happy none the less. It simply meant he was opening up to them more.

"I think." He said, adjusting when Choutarou began to pedal. "I mean, you saw the looks on their faces, and I don't think the Boss will mind if we bring some guests."

Choutarou hummed. "I guess your right, but we gotta be careful. Remember our first time there?" Hiyoshi laughed.

"How could I forget. We're just lucky we made it home. How many years has it been since we started going there?"

"Six." Choutarou said with a laugh. Hiyoshi leaned back, their backs pressed together.

"And how many since we got a stall?"

"Five."

"To think that they're already so used to seeing us." He said, his hand clutching the umbrella a bit tighter, his other arm around a cloth bag.

The bike came to a stop at the entrance to a shrine. Both boys dismounted, Choutarou moving the bike behind a signpost, wrapping the chain around and slipping a lock on. They walked in silence through the trees near the shrine, backs staright and faces blank. They stopped at a large cave entrance, staring up at the sign that hung over head.

"... Like they couldn't make it any less obvious." Hiyoshi sighed, shaking his head. The sign bluntly read 'festival area'. The only thing that kept them there were the dancing lights in the distance. He looked up at his taller friend.

"Ready?"

xXxXxXx

The only thing that distracted him from the overbearing stares he recieved was the thoughts that kept running through his head, thoughts of how to go about asking their Boss to let their team into the grounds. While it wasn't difficult to get in via cave entrance, it certainly was dangerous. Any unskilled or inexperianced person would find they've lost their way home if they blindly followed the lights in the back of the cave. Not only would they be lost, they'd be perfect game for any wandering spirits or guests.

Hiyoshi shoved those thoughts to the back of his mind, intending to focus on arranging to stall to his liking. Colored boxes were strewn across the floor, atop the shelves and stacked on top of tables. It was a wonder this ammount of items fit into their tiny tent as it was, but he had no time to ponder the possibilities. They had less than thirty minutes to get prepared before starting buisiness, and god knows they didn't want to repeat the same mistakes twice.

Choutarou turned to him, reaching up and straightening out his mask. He nodded in thanks, running his index finger over the half-fox face he wore. The sharp porcelain edges cut into his skin, drawing blood. The mask was obviously broken, having suffered a blow to the front that left it's wearer with many scars for quite a while. One mistake he vowed never to repeat.

Using the blood dripping off his finger, he drew familiar characters onto the cover of each box, making sure every line, every circle, every strange shape was to his liking. The shuffling in the back told him Choutarou had finished setting up the front, all that was left was to finish the boxes and they could open up. He heard Choutarou hiss slightly as he joined the shorter boy, still not as used to the sting as his friend was. It was, after all, always his job to prepare the inventory. Hiyoshi looked up at the old, ticking clock to his left.

Thirteen minutes had past. Just in time.

Lining up the colored boxes at the counter, Hiyoshi watched as Choutarou pulled the curtains open.

xXxXxXx

"You want to invite your friends?"

Hiyoshi saw Choutarou nod out of the corner of his eye. Despite it initially being his idea, the thought of _him_ asking their boss would have seem a little out of character to her, which would have been a bad thing. After all, they needed to stay 'in character' as she always told them.

He watched as the women seemed to think it over, examining her features carefully. It had been a year since they last saw her, and somehow he always seemed to forget how she looked. She was a tall lady, at least a head taller than him(he didn't want to admit he sometimes felt a little short around her, but he blamed it on genes) with long, silvery-white hair, tied up into a high ponytail. She wore a pure black yukata, to 'get into the festival spirit' as she so bluntly put it the previous year. Her eyes were still the same green he remembered, bright and shining, but just as cold as the rain outside.

She watched them carefully, eyes roaming about them, before bursting out in laughter, causing both boys to jump.

"Sure, go ahead." She said once she had calmed down. They both let out relieved sighs, shoulders slumping. "However," She started darkly. "they're _your_ responsibility. Anything happens , it's not my problem. I'll give you as many masks as you need, just don't break them. And write them in your own blood, mine won't work on 'foreigners'." At that moment, an assortment of white masks appeared before them, their's to pick from. Choutarou swallowed.

"Um, is it really alright?" He asked, eyes scanning over every mask. Memories of their fist time choosing came flooding back from the depths of his mind, causing his heart beat to quicken. She looked back at them.

"Sure, who knows, they may just attract more customers." She laughed. Slightly put off that his friends seemed to be treated as bait, Hiyoshi opened his mouth to speak, but quickly closed it.

_In character, in character..._ He thought, taking a deep breath. Upon opening his eyes, a certain mask caught his attention, and he had to fight back a smile.

"We can pick from any of these, right?" He asked, staring at the white item in front of him. She nodded again, taking a sip of the sake she had them pick up from the stalls. Choutarou gave him a look as he picked it up, a grin on his lips.

After a few minutes of choice, the sound of rain stopped, and the two immediately stood up, masks stacked in their arms.

"Okay boys, festival times over." Their Boss said, standing up and pushing them out the door. "Oh, and one word of advice, Hiyoshi." He turned around, Choutarou waiting by the door to the large room. She smiled.

"Don't let them end up like you."

xXxXxXx

A/N: So there it is, hopefully while writing this I'll be able to figure out the next chapter of _**Unseal**_. Ugghh, the most important chapter and I can't write it. But yeah, for those of you waiting for the next chapter, not gonna happen any time soon. Just wish me luck and hope i can work something out. Luckily, this is relatively easy to write, only being five chapters. I'm also gonna try to do another extra for _**On the Other Side**_ soon, so look out for that.

I'm gonna try to make the other chapters a bit longer, since there's a lot I wanna put here.


	2. Chapter 2 Meet our boss and the whale

A/N: So after putting this off for hours trying to beat the final bonus boss on Golden Sun Dark Dawn(Fuck you, Dullahan. You can keep your Iris summon, I don't want it anymore. I already looted your entire ship anyways, so HA) I finally decided 'time to update' since I was getting my ass kicked anyways. This chapter we get to see a bit more of the festival, and introduce some of the creepier characters my imagination can come up with(not as bad as usual, actually) Oh, and we get a title drop. Also, I'm sorry about the overwhelming amount of Dominace pair that may pop up, I'm trying to keep this as close to friendship as possible.

**Underground Rainbow**

**Chapter 2: Meet our boss and the whale**

Jirou was practically radiating with excitement. Hiyoshi and Choutarou had agreed, earlier that day, to tell the the results of the other night. As such, they were currently waiting for their two kohai's answers after getting dressed.

"Well?" Gakuto said, bouncing next to him. He was in the same state of excitement as he was, which possibly annoyed Hiyoshi to no end.

They watched as the two second years packed up their belongings and headed for the door. Hiyoshi stopped, as if just remembering something, and turned to look at them.

"Meet us at the old shrine outside the forest by the lake, a little past seven. Don't be late."

With that, he walked out the door, not giving them a straight answer. Gakuto and Jirou exchanged looks, before turning to the rest of the team.

"Does... that mean we can go?"

xXxXxXx

"It's colder than usual tonight."

Hiyoshi refrained from stuffing his hands in his pockets, as doing so would either result in him falling off the back of the bike, or dropping the bag. Choutarou grunted in response, the cold making it harder to pedal.

"Wanna switch places?" Hiyoshi offered, earning a chuckled from his taller friend.

"No, no, it's fine. I don't think you'd be able to get us there." As if sensing the pout on the youger's face, he quickly added: "Besides, we're almost there. See? I can see the shrine."

True to his word, the shrine stood tall and sturdy, despite probably being over a hundred years old. Much to their surprise, the others were already waiting.

"You guys... your early." Choutarou said, completely out of breath.

"You okay?" Shishido asked, raising an eyebrow. "Wait, you biked here?"

"With me on the back." Hiyoshi piped up, grinning. Shishido glared.

"Your heavy though." Hiyoshi feigned a hurt look.

"Sempai, I do believe you just called me fat." He said, walking towards the shrine, Choutarou following behind. He looked up at the aged building.

"Don't you think it's a bit ironic to be holding the festival in this kind of place?" He said, earning an odd look from his companion. "I mean, a shrine would be the last place I looked to find one of these things."

Choutarou hummed. "Perhaps your right, but then again, the Boss is pretty unpredictable. next thing you know, we'll have found her moving the festival to the actual grounds."

Both boys laughed at the thought, leaving their team to wonder just what was going through their heads. The laughter stopped the moment they entered the forest, Hiyoshi holding a finger up to his lips, signalling for silence. They obeyed, and only then did they hear it.

_"Humans..."_

_"Humans have come..."_

_"Humans..."_

It was unerving, to say the least. How Hiyoshi and Choutarou managed to keep those blank faces was a complete mystery for them. Atobe blinked, a thought coming to him.

Were they... used to this?

The group stopped at the mouth of a large cave, a sign pinned to the top in unreadable writing. Hiyoshi looked up at it, and they heard him give a silent laugh.

"I still think it's funny." He said to Choutarou, who shook his head. They turned to the rest, Hiyoshi opening the bag in his arms.

"Okay, before we can go in, we want you guys to put these on." He said, pulling out several porcelain masks, all modeled after animals with red ribbons off the the sides to tie them with.

Atobe watched as the masks were distributed, and when Hiyoshi came to him, he caught his wrist.

"What happened to your fingers?" He asked, eyeing the tips of his fingers. Each was wrapped tightly by crisp, white bandages, as thought he had pricked himself while sowing something. Hiyoshi smiled.

"It's the price for allowing you guys to enter. I can't write the seals in marker or paint, it has to be blood." He said with a small smile.

Atobe took the mask, eyeing the front. Indeed, there was what looked to be red marker at first glance, but upon closer inspection, he saw the darkening edges. He looked up at Hiyoshi, who was busy tying his own mask around his head. The younger boy noticed his stare and pointed to the mask.

"Need help?" He asked, and Atobe couldn't help but nod. There was just something... off, about tonight, and it wasn't just how the two were acting, if their starnge behavior in the forest was anything to go by. He bent down to allow the younger to reach around, wrapping the red fabric around his silver hair and tying it into a tight knot. He pulled back, adjusting the mask.

"Perfect." Hiyoshi flashed him a thumbs-up. He wasn't sure if the others had heard their conversation, or even noticed his odd behavior, but he was sure there was a reason behind it. He glaced at Choutarou, who was tying the mask for Jirou, his eyes immediately drawn to his fingers.

Nothing.

Not a single thing was off about him, not one thing that seemed out of place.

It unerved him, knowing that while Choutarou seemed perfectly fine, Hiyoshi seemed to be going through something he was unaware of.

"Everyone ready?"

Hiyoshi's voice snapped him out of his thoughts, the boy standing by the cave entrance. There were nods and sounds of approval, and everyone followed the two inside.

Oshitari leaned over to peek at Gakuto's mask, poking the top.

"There's something written here." He said, squinting to read the characters. " 'Rabbit'." He said, and Gakuto looked at him.

"Your's says 'Giraffe'." He laughed, pointing to the taller boy's mask. The others began reading off each other's, except for Hiyoshi and Choutarou, who were walking a little bit ahead.

"What does mine say?" Atobe asked, stepping next to Oshitari. THe dark-haired boy adjusted his glasses.

" 'Monkey King'." He snorted, covering his mouth with his hand to hide the obvious smile.

Atobe's eyebrow twitched, turning to look at the boy ahead.

"Oi, Hiyoshi, you've been hanging out with that Echizen brat again, haven't you!" Hiyoshi turned, smiling innocently.

"What's that, buchou? I'm sorry, I think this mask is tied on too tight, I can't hear you."

"By the way," Shishido spoke up, if only to keep the two from fighting in such a small area. "What's this stuff written with? It doesn't look like marker."

"Blood."

"Oh, I see- wait what?" Atobe almost choked while trying to hold in a laugh. It seemed his teammates hadn't heard their earlier conversation.

Choutarou ended the discussion there, leaving the others to wonder if he was telling the truth.

"Oh look, we're here."

THe group stopped at what was to them a far too colorful gate. There was what seemed to be booth at the side, as if asking for tickets. Choutarou walked up to the stall, telling whoever was in it something before he gestered for the others to follow. Once inside, they could only stare.

Stalls of every shape and color were lined up in neat rows, displaying items they'd never seen before. People - at least, they thought they were people - strode around in colorful outfits and masks, and despite them being inside a cave, there was-

"Look at the sky!" Jirou said excitedly. Atobe looked up and, much to his surprise, was greeted by a bright blue sky over-head. But what surprised them the most were the things swimming in the sky.

"Are those... fish?" He questioned. Hiyoshi looked up. Like his captain said, fishes of every shape and color swam above their heads, like an aquarium in the air*.

"Ah, yeah. No once knows why, but theres always different kinds of fish swimming up there, even thought we're underground." Atobe looked at him.

"Underground?"

"Yeah, the festival can only be held 'below the earth'." He explained on the way to where their stall was set up. "I don't know how, but whenever you go through that tunnel it takes you into an underground-"

"Rainbow!" Gakuto called out, pointing up. Hiyoshi looked up, a small smile on his face. "Yuushi, look, there's a rainbow!"

It really was hard to miss, the sight of something so colorful in a place even more colorful. The stereotypical rainbow hung overhead, colors from red to violet greeting them.

Atobe looked at his teammate.

"I suppose that's normal too?" He asked, but blinked when he saw the dazed look on the younger boy's face.

"I haven't seen that in six years..." He mumbled, staring at the sight above. He was snapped back to reality by an eery voice. He shivered.

"_Well, if it isn't the boy with the grey eyes_." A dark man, clad in black from head to toe, stalked up to them, stopping to look down on Hiyoshi. His smile faltered.

"If it isn't the good Lord Geoffrey, what brings you to the Tokyo area?" He asked, feeling a bead of sweat run down his face. The man grinned a dark, creepy grin.

"I've come to examine the stalls to see if there's anyone I can add to my... collection." He ended the sentence in a way that made Atobe shiver and seethe all at the same time. "You, of course, still interest me. Grey eyes are not common in England or Japan, it would be wonderful to have yours..." He ran his fingers over the half-fox mask covering the boy's face.

Hiyoshi kept up the act, as if his words didn't bother him, and attempted to calm down. He felt eyes on him, and heard Choutarou telling the others to stay silent, while Atobe tensed to his left.

"I'm sorry, My Lord, but I'm afraid I need these eyes. They add the the package, you see, and I don't think Boss will be very happy if you break one of her favorites."

He watched in silent amusement as the man withdrew his hand, sneering.

"I still wonder what you look like under that mast, young foxchild. No one here has seen your face. Except, of course, your precious 'Boss'." With that he slithered away, and Hiyoshi let out a sigh of relief. Choutarou patted him on the back.

"You did well hiding your digust." He laughed, earning a glare from the shorter boy.

"Oi, don't laugh, it's not funny." He said, jabbing him in the ribs. "Your not the one being targetted by a guy with eye fettishes." He huffed, walking off towards their stall. Atobe caught Choutarou by his sleeve.

"What was that about?" He hissed in a hushed tone. The two lagged behind while Hiyoshi led the rest of the team towards their location. "And what did he mean by 'young foxchild'?" While he had no complaints about the nickname, it still confused him as to why it was given. Choutarou gave him a wary glance.

"That was Geoffrey, a high standing man in this... place." He explained. "He likes to collect rarities, or, at least, stuff that's rare to him. He's been after Wakashi's eyes for three years now, and the only time he can target him is during the festival, since that's the only time the tunnels connect."

Atobe nodded, a silent request for him to continue.

"He's... odd, as you've probably seen. No body has seen our faces before, and he's determined to be the first. We can only take our masks off in our Boss's quarters." His hand, unintentional or not, moved to the mask tied tightly around his head. "As for his nickname, well, it's because he has the ability to control foxfire."

"Foxfire?" Atobe questioned, raising an eyebrow. Choutarou nodded.

"It's because of them that others think he's probably a fox demon in human form, but it's also because of his mask. It's hard to tell, but it used to be a full fox mask."

"Used to be." Atobe said. "Your saying it broke?"

Choutarou looked down at him and smiled.

"That, buchou, is something you need to ask Wakashi about."

xXxXxXx

"You all seem to be having fun."

Hiyoshi's shoulder slumped, while Choutarou starightened out his back. The woman laughed, brandishing her bottle of sake. She was wearing a different yukata, still pure black but much shorter. Hiyohsi silently begged her to get off their counter and let them work, because the longer they stand there staring the more buisiness they lose, which was not what they wanted.

"Boss." He started, surprising his teammates. "Why are you here?" He asked calmly. She laughed, swinging the bottle around.

"What, I can't visit my two favorite henchmen?" She said with a pout. He sighed.

_She's completely drunk_, He thought grimly.

"Boss, we need to work, so could you please move?" Choutarou asked cautiosly, stepping around the counter. While on normal days they climbed over it, it seemed this was not a normal day. Their Boss, of course, ignored the polite request in favor of scrutinizing their team.

"Ahh, so these are the friends you were talking about yesterday. Name's Akane." She said, standing up and walking up to them. She stared for a while before laughing agian. "Foxy, they look funny!"

"Who are you calling 'Foxy'!" Hiyoshi cried from the back of the tent, looking back to glare at the woman. He gestured for the others to come in quickly, while he stepped up to distract the drunkard on their counter. "Boss, we can't do good buisiness with you here, we need to close the curtains to prepare."

"Go ahead, I'm just going to take a nap."

"Boss!"

Hiyoshi growled as said woman flopped back, effectively knocked out. He groaned, pulling the rope to the side to shut the curtains to avoid attracting more attention than usual. he gave her one last look before stomping to the back where the boxes lay waiting. Choutarou walked up to him, watching their sleeping Boss.

"She's drunk."

"Yeah, but what else is new?"

He yelped as a cup collided with the back of his head, follwed by whining and laughter.

"Oi, I heard that you foxy brat." She said, before falling back onto the counter. Hiyoshi growled, but reached for the first box, rubbing the back of his head. Choutarou squeezed his shoulder, moving away to give the other some much needed space.

"A bit of a handful, isn't she?"

He looked up to meet bright blue eues hidden behind a plain white mask, together with a grin. He sighed, running a hand through his light hair.

"Yeah, can't do anything about it though." He said, placing the box in front of him before reaching up for his mask with his left hand(his right was covered in bandages). Atobe raised an eyebrow.

"What are you doing?" He asked curiously, before the first drop of blood slid down his kohai's finger. Hiyoshi stared at the red for a moment before reaching for the box again, lifting it up and drawing far too familiar designs on the cover.

"You write this in blood too?"

"Mhm." He said, trying to concentrate.

"What else do you use it for?"

"Stuff."

"Like?"

"Buchou." He said, setting down his now ruined work. "Do shut up."

Atobe watched in mild amusement as the younger boy picked up another box and began writing again.

About fifteen minutes later Hiyoshi and Choutarou were lining up the boxes on the counter(after Hiyoshi 'woke up' their Boss with the threat to take away her alcohol). Choutarou looked to Hiyoshi, who nodded, and pulled open the curtains. Almost immediately they were swarmed by 'people', Choutarou maintaining the counter while Hiyoshi worked with more boxes.

Atobe observed the two carefully. While it seemed like Choutarou was doing more work, it was obvious to him that Hiyoshi was going through quite a bit on his own. Choutarou mearly needed to hand them out to people, Hiyoshi was sacrificing his own blood for their inventory.

He felt a jab to his side, turning to see Akane staring at him.

"I know what your thinking." She said, leaning back against one of the shelves. "No, he's not being forced into it. He chose this method himself, and he's stubborn as hell, so don't bother trying to change his mind."

Atobe grunted in response, before picking up the box that Hiyoshi had earlier pushed aside.

"Wanna know what their for?" She asked, giving him a grin. Despite not initially liking the woman, he nodded, hinestly curious as to what could attract so many people. She held out a hand to take the box, wiping off the writing and pricking her finger on a price of glass. "It probably won't work with my blood, since their made for his talents, but I'll try."

In one swift movement, she wrote the same character Hiyoshi had been trying his best to concentrate on earlier. She grinned at his expression.

"Who do you think tought the kid how to write? You should have seen what a mess he was in the beginning, couldn't write a single word without someone holding his hand." She snickered, holding out the box to him. "Like I said, it probably doesn't work for me."

He stared at the box curiously before pulling off the lid and-

Nothing.

He heard a giggle next to him, eyebrow twitching.

"Well damn, guess I don't have the kind of blood he has." Was her response. "What's supposed to happen is that a random item is supposed to pop out. Kid love 'em, cuz you can get things from candy to toys. Whatever he feels like writing will pop out, and no one here can read Japanese, so it's all by random what they get."

Atobe eyes the boy across the tent, watching as another one of his fingers grazed the edge of the mask.

"His mask-" "Sorry, can't answer that." _Twitch, twitch._

She looked up at him, frowning.

"You'll have to ask Foxy over there when you've got time, it's his problem, not ours."

"Don't call me 'Foxy'!" Hiyoshi yelled from the other side, causing the woman to laugh.

"You don't wanna be called Foxy? Then make a new mask and stopping fighting with foxfire, then we'll see what happens."

A grumble, and the boy turned back to his work.

xXxXxXx

"Looks like that's it for today."

Hiyoshi slumped down onto the floor, frowning while looking at his hands. Both were almost completely covered in bandages, save for his last two fingers, since he couldn't write with them. Choutarou crouched down, taking one hand in his own and looking it over.

"I'm sorry." He said softly, and Hiyoshi sighed.

"It's fine." He said.

Akane stood up, grabbing both boys by the collars of their shirts and forcing them to stand up.

"Okay, I say you guys close up shop for today and-"

"The whale's goin' insane!"

The three turned to see people backing away from what seemed to be the center of the festival area. Atobe turned to the three, about to ask 'what whale', but Hiyoshi had already jumped over the counter, pushing his way through the crowd. Choutarou followed shortly after, with a word to Akane.

"Please watch them." He said, before following his friend. Akane turned to the group of boys.

"What?" She asked, looking over their surprised stares. Shishido shook his head.

"What's going on? Someone was yelling about a whale...?" He raised an eyebrow. They had seen fish, sure, but there was no way they could have missed a whale.

"Yup." She replied, looking out. People had seemed to stop panicking, instead watching whatever was going on. "It's name is Umisora, those two are going to calm it down.

xXxXxxx

Hiyoshi winced as his ankle twisted at a very uncomfortable angle. He looked ahead, the giant mass writhing about, yelling at the top of it's lungs. The shaking ground had caused him to lose his balance while decending into the large pit, thus resulting in a very painful sprain.

He heard Choutarou slide down next to him, asking if he was alright. He replied with a nod, pointing the the whale.

"How are we gonna do this?" He asked. It was never an easy feat, calming her down. The last time resulted in one of them having a broken arm, thus being unable to attend practice for two weeks. And they did _not_ want a repeat of that year.

"Should we try talking to her? It worked last time." Choutarou said hopefully, watching as the festival's guardian continued to slam her tail into the ground, causing the ground to shake violently. Hiyoshi looked at him.

"I broke my arm last time." He said, unconciously cluthching at his right arm. "But, maybe if we kept our distance." He watched as she began flapping her wings, and sighed. "I have to admit, it _is_ kinda sad, what she's going through."

"It can't be helped." His siler-haired companion said with his own sigh, standing up. "Some creature were just not meant to fly."

xXxXxXx

"What are they doing down there?"

Shishido watched in horror as his kohai began stepping closer to the the large mammal. Were they crazy?

"They're job." Akane said, watching the two boys with a smile. "Umisora appeared around the same time they started working here, so people automatically assumed it must be connected to them. They argued for days about the name before deciding on it."

"They combined the names?" Oshitari asked, watchig with interest. Akane chuckled.

"Ootori wanted to name it 'Umi' after the sea, but Hiyoshi said that since it wants to be in the sky, 'Sora' was a much better name." She said, clapping her hands as Hiyoshi side-stepped a swipe from the tail.

"What are you clapping about?" Shishido snapped, glaring at the white-haired woman. She smirked.

"He dodged, tell me why I shouldn't be happy about that." There was an odd gleam in her eyes that said otherwise, but he didn't question further, deciding to watch their kohai's near-suicide mission.

"What are they supposed to do?" Atobe asked, frowning.

"Calm her down." Akane replied, pointing to the whale. "If this goes on, the entire cavern could collapse. This is why those two are so important." She watched as Choutarou continued his attempts at keeping a distance, all the while shouting thigs they couldn't make out. "They're not allowed to hurt it either, since it's this area's guardian."

"Guardian?" Gakuto questioned, but got no answer. He looked back when they heard a yelp, just in time to see Hiyoshi slammed into the rock wall by a fin. He looked back up at the whale.

"Oi, what do you think your doing?" He shouted, flames circling around him. Akane clapped louder.

"Ooh, he's getting angry!" She cried in joy. THe team watched as their teammate stood back up, the bright blue and orange flames dancing around his form. "Don't blink, this is where things get good."

Atobe watched in mild awe at the display. He vaguely remembered Choutarou's words earlier. "_It's because he has the ability to control foxfire_." The words echoed through his head as he watched the boy launch himself forward, catching the fin that was about to crush him.

"Oi, Choutarou, hurry it up!" He called, causing the other to look at him with wide eyes. "I can't hold her for long!"

Choutarou nodded, pulling out what seemed to be a piece of wood. He mumbled something inaudible, before throwing the item in front of the whale, a bright light obscuring any view thay had.

xXxXxXx

Hiyoshi slowly opened his eyes as the light faded, loosening his grip on the large fin, jumping back as it landed on the ground with a thud. He watched as the flames faded away, breathing heavily.

_Damn_, he thought, clutching his chest, _I used too many, I lost control_.

He heard footsteps next to him, before feeling someon rub his back.

"Sorry." Choutarou said, helping him approach the guardian. "I was too slow, I made you unleash the flames." Hiyoshi rolled his eyes.

"It'd have happened again anyway, either today, tomorrow, or some other day of the week." He said, crouching down next to the large mammal. "I know you want to be up there, but it's gonna take time before you can fly, too." He said gently. It made a low sound, almost sad. "Good girl."

Choutarou held his arm, holding on to his shoulders. He glanced up, spotting their teammates near the edge. He smiled.

"Let's go join the others, then Boss can help you get your flames back."

xXxXxXx

A lone figure watched from behind the tents as the boys reunited with their group, the fox boy slightly unsteady.

"_The contract is taking it's toll on his body, it won't be long now..._"

xXxXxXx

A/N: I hate formatting. Next chapter I'll be putting in a lot more dialogue concerning the festival and what happens with it, along with some mentions of other characters. I'm gonna push some stuff for other chapter, just cuz I wanna end this off here. And no, this whole fic is not just gonna be one day. We're gonna have some time skips so I'm not gonna be writing every day, since I wanna keep this at five chapters maximum.

* I checked on a translator and asked someone, and I've confirmed that the song i used for this fic is called "Air Aquarium" or something along those lines.


	3. Chapter 3A light that shouldn't be there

A/N: Okay, trying to keep up with updates, and so far, I'm doing good. Aaannnd, I just jynxed myself, didn't I? Another reason for this update, I'm about to start that fanfic for my friends soon, and I wanna at least be halfway done with this. Still stuck with _**Unseal**_, so here's my question to you: What means of unsealing should I use? I had a ritual-like unsealing in mind, so keep all suggestions within there.

So yeah, I'm trying to keep my authors note short in practice for future fics I have, but this chapter we get lines from the songs, along with references.

**Underground Rainbow **

**Chapter 3: A light that shouldn't be there**

Hiyoshi sighed, dropping his bag on the ground and slumping back onto the wall. It was far too early for him to be at school, much less a Saturday, so there was no one there.

Not like there would be, seeing as it was five in the morning. Even _Atobe_ wasn't up at this time, if he remembered his captain's schedule correctly from the last time he stayed over after tutoring. He leaned back, raising his head to the skies and closing his eyes, the past day's events coming back to him. They'd agreed, on their Boss's request, to bring the team back for the rest of the festival. So far it was the fourth day, the second and third having gone by in a flash.

He supposed his shouldn't be blaming his teammates or Boss for his lack of sleep, it was more his paranoia getting to him at night. Lately he'd been keeping a closer eye on them, even when Akane would take them around. He couldn't help but send a fire spirit to keep guard.

His eyes snapped open. Was he becoming... worried? For them? No, no way. It was just _not_ in his character to worry. Especially about people who antagonized and annoyed him on a daily basis.

He sighed again, closing his eyes and letting his drowsiness overtake him. It was going to be a _long_ day.

_Just like the fish that swim around inside the vast blue sky_

_and like the whale that flaps it's fin as it tries to fly_

_I was born into this place, I never wondered why_

_but all my dreams were far beyond my reach_

The song played in his head, though he didn't know where it came from. Where had he heard it before? He vaguely remembered Akane singing something like it before, a few years ago when they had just started working, after a night of drinking. So why was it coming back to him now? Did it touch anything, deep inside him?

His eyes snapped open at the first drop of rain that landed on his cheek. He reached up, brushing it away. One drop became three, before turning into an all-out downpour. He didn't move, instead letting the rain soak through his uniform. Someone, if anyone, would come by for practice, yell at him for getting soaked then lecture him about his health and how catching a cold in the middle of the season would be bad for the team.

He blinked.

For the team.

_For the team._

The words echoed throughout his head. Did they honestly care for him? He knew Choutarou and Shishido's concerns were genuine, seeing as the two were what he thought of as his friend and sempai. But what of the others. He stayed deep in thought, memories flashing through his head of the many times he had been yelled at or berated for his actions, not noticing the tears that poured from his eyes. It was raining after all.

_and I would cry_

_So tell me why, please tell me why_

_I'm standing here beneath the bitter, pounding rain_

"Hiyoshi?"

Said boy blinked, wiping the tears from his face. He looked over to see Atobe staring at him, umbrella in hand.

"Your early." His captain said, walking over to the door and unlocking it. Hiyoshi followed him inside, intent on chaning immediately into his club uniform.

"I couldn't sleep, so I left earlier than usual." He said, dragging his bag behind him. Atobe raised an eyebrow, and Hiyoshi shook his head. "I think I've been playing too many games lately, my dreams are starting to get weird." While it wasn't exactly a lie, he hardly dreamed at all during festival weeks, much less had time for games.

After a while, silence settled over them, Hiyoshi sitting on the couch after changing, and Atobe sitting at his desk to finish more work. Hiyoshi began humming unconciously, earning a strange look from his captain.

"What are you humming?" He asked, setting down his pen. it wasn't annoying, the tune was rather pretty. It was just something he'd never heard before. Hiyoshi blinked at him.

"I was humming?" He asked, his own confusion causing his captain to laugh.

"Yes." He said, picking up his pen and setting aside a finished document. Hiyoshi leaned back.

"I didn't notice. I guess it's cuz the song has been playing in my head." He attempted to clear his thoughts, but the song was persistant, though only repeating the first chorus. "So, how are you guys enjoying the festival so far? Any complaints?"

Atobe looked at him. "Not really. I have to admit, it's rather fun. The other looked like they were enjoying themselves." He said with a smile. "Your boss is an... interesting... character, though I have to wonder how you manage to put up with her sometimes."

Hiyoshi snorted. "Years of practice, buchou. Years." This earned a laugh from the older boy.

"So what else is going to happen? So far all we've seen is odd performances and games."

Hiyoshi hummed. "There's a parade on the last day, but for the fourth, fifth and sixth, theres not much going on." He let his mind drift to the festival's schedule, absentmindedly humming the same song again, before stopping immediately when the door flew open. Both boys jumped when Gakuto ran in, Shishido and Jirou right behind him.

"You guys are wet." Hiyoshi said, giving them a deadpan expression. Shishidp glared.

"Really now, I never noticed." He snapped. Hiyoshi was slightly taken back by his favorite sempai's behavior so early in the morning, but a piece of chalk hitting him in the side of the head made up for it. He had to stifle a laugh as Shishido glared at Atobe, who stared back.

"I didn't do it." He said, returning to his paperwork. Shishido grumbled something inaudible, before walking over to his locker and began changing. Hiyoshi sighed, leaning back once more and closing his eyes.

xXxXxXx

"I can't believe you left without me this morning!"

Hiyoshi rolled his eyes as Choutarou whined, something about having to walk to school in the rain. For the second day since the festival started, practice was cancelled on account of heavy rain, which suspiciously ended the moment it was time to leave and prepare.

"You think Boss is doing something with the rain just to annoy me? I mean, it always starts whenever it's time for practice, except yesterday,then ends when we're about to leave." He said, eyebrow twitchin. Choutarou laughed.

"Probably, you know her."

They rode in silence to the shrine, where they knew their team would be waiting. Hiyoshi yawned, only being able to catch about an hour of sleep at the clubhouse and home before it was time to leave. Choutarou gave him a look over his shoulder, but said nothing.

He already knew what the source of his friend's anxiety, and that source was just over this hill.

xXxXxXx

Choutarou rubbed his eyes, watching as one of the day's last customer's left the stall. His eyes were beginning to grow tired, possibly due to the fact that he, like his friend, had not been able to sleep the past few nights. While he may have been able to hide it better, he still needed his rest. He glanced at the clock.

Just twenty more minutes until closing time.

He watched as Hiyoshi worked with his boxes, moving them from shelf to shelf, his movements sluggish, showing he was just as tired as himself. He turned to look back outside, where Akane was currently taking their friends around the nearby stalls. He looked above them, smiling at the tiny spirit that floated overhead. While he may have denied it to stay in character, Choutarou knew his friend was just as worried about them as he was.

They were 'normal' people, after all.

_Searching for a way to find the happiness inside_

_I found a path that lead me to the answer in my mind_

_and washed away the tears that fall, just like the rain outside_

_was the only lie I kept inside_

_the one I failed to hide_

The spirit swirled about, flapping it's arms around in an attempt to stay airborn. He chuckled. Despite what people thought, Hiyoshi preferred to keep his spirits as small as possible, and the fact that it was orange with a moderately big head and wing-like arms and thin body, he was the only person that could say(without receiving a punch to the face, or elsewhere) that his friend definitely had a soft spot for the small creatures.

Hiyoshi turned to look at him, his tired stare mixed with confusion.

"What?" He asked, walking over to the counter and folding his arms over it, before letting his head down. Choutarou shook his head, rubbing his friend's back.

"So how are you feeling?" He asked, noting that there was only ten more minutes. He had spent a lot of time watching the shorter boy's spirit, which was now watching their team's movements with interest.

"Okay." Hiyoshi said, knowing that the attempt at conversation was a way to kill time. Not that he minded. "Tired as hell though." He mumbled. Choutarou laughed.

"You too, huh?" He said, knowing they were both lacking sleep. He looked back at the clock. Five more minutes, then they'd be free to do whatever they wanted... "Hey, I think your spirit is getting tired, do you wanna reinforce it a little, or do you want me to?" He asked, noticing the little orange creature was losing altitude. Hiyoshi shook his head.

"I think I'll just let if rest, I don't have enough energy to keep it going, and you don't match up with that one, so it won't work." He snapped his fingers, and the spirit shook, before popping back to their sides. Hiyoshi scratched it's head. "Go rest now, your done for today."

He watched as the little creature faded away, before the clock beeped once, letting them know their work was done. He stretched.

"So what now?" He asked, and Hiyoshi shrugged. He thought for a moment, before an idea hit him. "Hey, we haven't been to _that_ place in a while, wanna go check it out?"

He smiled when Hiyoshi looked up at him, grinning.

xXxXxXx

_Where do I go? Where do I go?_

_I swim inside a maze, no light to shine the way_

"I can never get over how weird this place is." Hiyoshi said, pressing his hand to the wall. Or, what they _thought_ was a wall. It was clear to them that it was made of purely water.

Another spirit floated by his head, this one blue with bubble-like ears and arms similar to the last one, along with shape, eyes perpetually closed. It was the one that usually accompanied his friend, the one he stated to "calm him down the most" at these times. "How do you think water manages to do this."

Choutarou nodded. It was strange, to say the least. They were standing in a large maze, the watery walls cool to the touch. Fishes swam around, the sky above them bright. It was like one of those outdoor mazes made of hedges, only water, and with fishes in place of roses.

Hiyoshi contued to run his hand over the walls, attracting fish with each step. They walked in silence, enjoying the cool air, as opposed to the humid festival area. They had come to this area many times before, once with their Boss, as a way relax. If she needed to find them, she knew where to look. The problem was finding them if they went _inside_. Which, of course, they did.

Hiyoshi began humming, intentionally or not, and Choutarou blinked.

"Ah, that's the song that Boss taught us a while back, right?" He asked. Hiyoshi nodded, and he began humming along, matching his friend's steps. Even the spirit, while not humming, attempted to sing along.

Both boys jumped when the small blue creature let out a screech. Hiyoshi whipped his head around, his spirit's reaction meaning that someone other than their Boss was approaching them. Someone dangerous. Choutarou moved closer to the corner, where a black shadow flew past him, knocking him to the ground. He heard Hiyoshi let out a pained cry, the spirit screeching.

"_You..._" It said with a deep, creeping voice. "_You've got a light inside you, one that shouldn't be there..._" Choutarou's eyes widened slightly. A light?

Hiyoshi kicked out at it, managing to tear it's hands off from around his throat. He slumped to the ground, breathing hard, fire dancing around him. The figure growled before swiftly retreating around the corner. The two stared after it, before heavy footsteps sounded behind them.

Choutarou stood up, walking over to his friend, offering him a hand. He took it, and both looked up at the blue spirit as it's screeches turned to coos.

"I see you two finally ran into trouble after years of sneaking around." A voice behind them said, causing both of them to stiffen. Both turned slowly to come face-to-face with none other than Akane herself.

"B-Boss..." Hiyohsi coughed. His spirit hid inside his hood, peeking out from the rim. She fixed it with a stare, while the others ran up from behind.

"What the hell was that sound?" Gakuto panted, staring at the little blue creature. "And what's that thing?" Said "thing" growled.

"It's not a _thing_, Mukahi-san." Hiyoshi said, patting it's head. "It's a spirit. I use them for... stuff."

"As in, he's been using them to spy on you guys during the festivals." Akane pointed out, poking the small spirit in the cheek, causing it to glare at her.

"It's kinda cute!" Jirou cooed, walking over and rubbing it's cheek. It purred. "Does it have a name?"

Hiyoshi thought for a moment. "No, I don't give them names. I didn't think it'd be necessary, since theres so few of them." He said, shaking his head.

"Name it." His sempai said, smiling as the small creature pawed at him fingers. Hiyoshi decided to ignore the comment.

"Anyways, how did you guys find us?" Choutarou asked, attempting to turn the conversation in a different direction.

"We hear that thing-"

"Kyu!"

"-screeching earlier, so we followed it." Akane smirked.

"See what happens when you sneak off?" He expression turned from smug to serious. "What happened? There's no way this thing's alarm would have gone off if it was a normal demon or person wandering around." Hiyoshi and Choutarou exchanged looks, before Choutaoru looked at her.

"This shaowy thing came out of nowhere and attacked us." He said, Hiyoshi absently rubbing his neck. "It caught him by the neck and said something weird." Akane raised a sleek eyebrow.

"What did it say?"

"Something about having a light that shouldn't be there." He said. Akane's eyes widened slightly, before shaking her head.

"There's no way. It was probably waiting for someone else and mistook you guys for them." She said. "What did it do after?"

"I summoned my fire and it growled at me before running off." Hiyoshi said, watching the fish swimming about. Akane seemed to be thinking it over, before nodding.

"Okay, time to go." She said, earning nods from the two. "It might still be around somewhere, so why don't you boys go home for today?"

xXxXxXx

"So what was that place?" Atobe asked on the walk back. Hiyoshi looked at him.

"It's called a water maze. It's pretty much a maze made of water." He said, shaking his hood. The spirit popped out again, floating around his captain's head. "I found that guy there two years ago, when I got lost. He's not a fighter, so he screams when I'm in danger. I like having him around."

Atobe nodded, watching the tiny blue spirit.

"Just three more days left."

xXxXxXx

A/N: Oh god I need to get my glasses soon, my eyes are starting to hurt.

Okay, so a little shorter than last chapter, but can't be helped. So if anyone is curious about the lyrics, since I left some out, you can check out the actual song, since I have the title up on my profile. I'm going to be using the other half of the song next chapter, so look out for it. I got the idea of the spirits while I was playing Rune Factory Oceans(which I have been playing far too much of) so there may or may not be further explanation on them, since they were technically an add-on. Imagine them however you want.


	4. Chapter 4 A grey, grey world

A/N: OKay so I started this chapter telling my sister to keep me focused. Probably not my best ideas, but I'll take what I can get. I've also drank a ton of water and bought myself three bottles of soda, so I'm pretty sure I'll be up for a while. Wish me luck. Wow, this has to be the most fail songfic there is if it took this long to finish.

**Underground Rainbow**

**Chapter 4: A grey, grey world**

Hiyoshi sighed, standing up from his seat at the counter. Choutarou looked up at him, catching his eyes before nodding, grabbing the curtains and shutting them. This caused several reactions from their teammates, which mostly consisted of 'who turned out the lights?' to which Hiyoshi lit a lamp with a bit of foxfire. The room lit with an eery blue glow, their shadows dancing on the walls. Hiyoshi slipped through a crack in the curtain with Choutarou, while Akane watched them carefully. She smiled.

"There they go." She said, watching the curtain flutter in the wind.

xXxXxXx

"You know where we're going?" Choutarou asked the shorter boy, who shrugged.

They walked through the gaps between tents and stalls, eventually coming to a small clearing. The air seemed to distort around the area, losing more and more color the deeper they went in, eventually treating them to the sight of a deep, grey space.

"It's pretty... nice." Hiyoshi said, walking around. "I remember when Boss said not to come here until we were older our first festival, remember?"

Choutarou nodded, silently looking around. Yes, he remembers.

He also remembers _why_ they weren't supposed to come back to this... place.

"We should leave, Boss might get angry." He said, tugging at his friend's blue shirt. Hiyoshi raised an eyebrow, looking back at him.

"Why? We're older now, we should be allowed to do what we want. Here, at least." He laughed.

"Wakashi, we're _14_. I really don't think that's old enough to do anything this dangerous. Remember what happened last time?" Hiyoshi scowled.

"Last time I was unprepared."

"Last time you left with half a mask."

xXxXxXx

"Where did they go?" Shishido questioned, glancing at Akane suspiciously. "It's been twenty minutes, and I don't think it'd take that long to buy drinks like you said they were doing."

The woman shrugged. "Long line? Besides, what does it matter to you? They could be off getting themselves killed like they did yesterday and it wouldn't have to matter to you." She laughed. "After all, it's the sixth day ,there should be a lot of weirdos out for blood by now."

Atobe sat up straight, eyes wide. "What are you saying?" Akane smirked.

"Those two have caused a lot of problem these past seven years. Their job goes a lot deeper than you think."

xXxXxXx

Hiyoshi stared the taller boy down. He may have been short, but that didn't mean he couldn't be intimidating when he needed to be. Choutarou, however, didn't even flinch under the look his friend was giving him. He merely tightened his grip on the shorter boy's shirt -which had changed from the end to the front - looking him in the eyes.

"Say that again." He said darkly, glaring ever so slightly at his teammate. Hiyoshi rolled his eyes.

"Again? Seriously, someone, might think there's something wrong with your ears." He frowned. "I said, if you weren't such a pacifist and actually did something with your power, we wouldn't have to be tied down by so many rules, and _that never would have happened_. Admit it, Choutarou, your a _coward_."

He grunted as he was shoved to the ground by the silver-haired boy, who clenched his fists tightly and grit his teeth.

"I am not!" He shouted, "I'm not a coward, at least not as much as you are!" Hiyoshi glared at him, rising from the ground.

"What?"

"Face it, your even more of a coward than _I_ am." He said, crossing his arms. "You never wanted the team to know what we were doing all these years, you never tell anyone what's going on, and you always hide behind those flames of yours whenever you fight! Have you ever _once_ fought seriously during our jobs? No, because your _scared_."

The two stared at each other for what seemed like forever, before Choutarou realized what he said. Hiyoshi gripped the end of his shirt, before letting go and lowering his head with a dark chuckled.

"You know what, Choutarou? Your right, I _am_ scared. Scared that no matter what I do, no matter how hard I work, I'll never be freed from this contract. This fucking contract that forces me to come back to this hellhole _every fucking year_. You think it's fun, not being in control of your life? I can't even say the things I want to say without being threatened to have my head ripped right off my shoulders. You think it's funny? Cuz I sure as hell don't!"

"Wakashi-"

"And another thing, I don't gve a damn whether or not the team knows what I do. I don't care if they find out that I kill, that I ruin people's lives, that I can't for the life of me remember _what_ I am. For all I care, they can keept their opinion to themselves. At least I know what I want, and that's to be as far away from this place as humanly possible. And if that's not far enough, I'll go even farther. No one's gonna stop me, not even that sorry excuse for a boss!"

At that moment, Choutarou felt a chill run down his spine as a dark shadow loomed over his friend, surrounding him. Hiyoshi didn't seem to notice, instead attempting to catch his breath. Then, the shadow spoke.

"_The light..."_ It said, voice rough and eery. "_The light has gotten stronger._"

Choutarou swallowed thickly. "Wakashi..." He reached out to take his friend's hand, only to have it slapped away.

"Don't touch me." He growled, looking up at him with dim grey eyes. "Don't touch me. Don't act like you care, because you don't. Don't act like you want to save me, like you want to stay my friend. Because I sure as hell don't need anyone right now."

With that, Choutaoru watch silently as his friend turned and walked past the shadow, into a dull world.

xXxXxXx

"What do you mean 'trouble'?"

"I mean what I mean. They've got a much harder job to do than just running a stall. I'm talking about really dark stuff. All stuff they have to do." Akane chuckled. Atobe glared.

"What are you doing to them." He said, rising from his seat. Akane rose too, staring him in the eye.

"Nothing. I'm just giving them orders, they're free to do whatever they want, but... it might not end well for them." She smiled.

Atobe opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by the large amount of light that entered the tent as the curtains were torn open. Seven pairs of eyes were greeted with the sight of Choutarou jumping over the counter, breathing heavily and looking panicked.

"Choutarou." Shishido said, walking over to his partner. The boy didn't look at him, instead turning to glare at his boss.

"What did you do to him." He demanded, standing at his full height in front of the tall woman.

"Where's Hiyoshi?" She asked, smiling a bit still, though the teasing tone was gone. Choutarou clenched his fists.

"What did you do to him."

Akane's smile faded as she looked into the boy's eyes, taking in the swirling emotions.

"He got taken, didn't he." She said, not questioning at all. Choutarou growled inwardly.

"Where did he go." he changed his question, deciding on a less direct approach. Akane smiled.

"I wouldn't know. _I_ wasn't there." She said happily. Choutarou narrowed his eyes, but before he could speak, someone smacked his arm. Hard.

"Oi, don't stand there and fight like we're not in the room." Shishido said, crossing his arms. Choutarou absently rubbed his arms, only just now realizing just how much the smack hurt. "What happened, and where's Wakashi."

Chotarou looked away, his eyes darkening slightly at the thought.

"We... got into a fight." He said quietly, though it seemed they had heard him.

"What, seriously?" Gakuto said, shocked. "You guys never fight! Your, like, brothers!" Choutarou shook his head.

"I'm not sure what we are anymore, I just know this is my fault."

xXxXxXx

_Inside a lonely, barren world_

_the waves will wash my thoughts ashore_

_I feel my broken body fall_

_without a single sound_

Hiyoshi looked around. Huh.

"This... is not the clearing I remember being in. Actually, it's not even a clearing."

His words were followed by a splash of water and the smell of salt. He covered his nose, the strong sea smell irritating his senses. He let his hand fall slowly as his ears were filled with sounds all around him, voices speaking to him. He looked around, attempting to find the source of this unwanted noise to he could tell it to shut up and let him think, before his mind went blank.

What... _was_ he thinking of?

"_They don't care_..."

His hands flew to his head, holding it tightly as the sudden pain overtook him, causing his knees to go weak, feeling his body slump to the ground.

"_They don't care..._"

"_It's not their concern_..."

"_They can't do anything_..."

He felt his lungs constrict, his heart beating faster and faster as his vision swam. Hiyoshi clutched his chest, the pain in his head dull compared to it. He attempted to focus his energy in front of him, a familiar blue glow forming in front of his before vanishing. He couldn't summon his spirits. He couldn't call for help.

He was going to die.

He felt the air leave his lungs as words were whispered around him.

_"They probably wouldn't notice if I... disappeared_."

xXxXxXx

"What fight?"

Choutarou avoided his sempai's eyes, a feeling of guilt welling up in his chest. He shouldn't have said what he said. Sure, Hiyoshi was partly to blame, but Choutarou knew the other boy had held his emotions in check until... well, until he couldn't hold them in any longer. The thought of his friend suffering somewhere, alone, made his heart ache.

He was snapped back - quite literally - by Shishido snapping his fingers in his kohai's face. He let his eyes wander to his sempai's face, who stared back with a strange look.

"Choutarou?" He asked, pressing a finger to his forehead and moving it in circles, pressing down on his temple. Choutarou blinked, softly pushing the hand away. He shook his head.

"I'm sorry, I was just... thinking." He said. Akane smacked him, this time on the back of the head, causing him to cry out in pain. "B-Boss!"

"We don't care if you were thinking or not, just answer the question." She said darkly, causing the taller boy to flinch. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them again, an emotion that could only be described as pure regret flashing through dull chocolate orbs.

"I... might have said something. It was a stupid fight but... I shouldn't have said what I said, even if it was in retaliation to his own words."

"And, what did he say?" Shishido pressed on. He knew whatever they two fought over was bothering his kohai, and he had to know.

"Well, he... called me a coward, so I said something... something..." He trailed off, and Shishido raised an eyebrow. Choutarou shook his head again.

"It's not important right now." He said, turning to look at Akane. "Something else is though - Boss-no, Akane-san," He started, Akane's attention now on him. "What did you do to him. Wakashi mentioned a contract."

Akane was silent for a moment before she sighed, grabbing a chair and sitting down. She stared at him with an even gaze, and Choutarou straightened his back just a little bit.

"Do you remember that... incident, seven years ago when you two first started working here?" She asked, though the answer would be obvious from the look in his eyes: yes, he remembers, but he sure wished he didn't. "Well, you got out fine, but Hiyoshi..." She paused, taking in the looks of anxiety on the group's faces. "His mask broke."

"I remember that." He said. "That... _thing_ hit him in the face and his mask shattered." He paused. "But you fixed it. At least, half of it." Akane shook her head.

"Just fixing half a mask won't stop everyone from realizing he's human. Or at least _mostly_ human. The fact that he controls foxfire proves he might have been born with more than just human blood, but that's a story for another day." She said, waving her hand.

"Anyway, to keep everyone from noticing and going berserk, he signed a contract. A _blood_ contract. He'll be seen as human for as long as he works here, but the contract is slowly sucking away his life. He'll die in the next year or so if he doesn't find a way to break it. That brings us to the _second_ part of the contract." She said, the glare she was getting from the silver-haired boy intensifying. "If he _can_ find a way to break the contract, not only will he live, but he'll be given back all those years that were stolen from him. In short, he'll live _longer_." She shrugged. "That's about it. If your wondering, I had little to do with it. I only suggested it, _he's_ the one who agreed to it. You can't force someone to sign a blood contract."

Choutarou thought for a moment. Okay, most of what Wakashi said - or yelled - made sense now. He couldn't help but feel there was one detail he was missing...

"So... where'd he go?"

Gakuto's voice broke he out of his thoughts, his head snapping up, eyes wide. He turned back to Akane, his fear growing more and more by the second. Each second his friend would be losing.

"Akane-san, that shadow we saw before..."

xXxXxXx

_and I'm begging you to send me now to the sky_

_with your strength, I know I'll find the way_

His head felt light.

That was the first thing he realized when he came to, eyes cracking open slowly. It was still the same grey, bleak world he had been in before. Only the voices had stopped, something he was thankful for. Only why did he feel like someone was staring at him.

Slowly, he let his head rise, along with his upper body, off the cold grey sand. He looked up, and his arms nearly gave out under him.

Right there, staring right back at him, was a giant eye.

How he had missed the body it was attached to was another thing to wonder about.

He stared into the cool grey eye, not in fear, but curiosity. He'd seen it before, somewhere, sometime, a long time ago.

"Umi... sora?

"_Ah, so your awake_." The whale said, blinking slowly. If not for being familiar with the voice, Hiyoshi was sure he could have screamed. "_Is your head alright?_"

Hiyoshi let his hands wander to his head, feeling for any bumps, sitting back on his heels. He shook it slowly, pausing as his vision swam slightly before sighing.

"I'm dizzy, so I'm going to lie down." He said, lowering himself onto the - now cool - sand, near what he supposed was Umisora's fin. He only knew this because he recognized the burns inflicted by his own fire. "Sorry about that."

"_No worries_." She replied, and Hiyoshi felt that he must have really gone crazy to be talking to a whale. "_Your mind is occupied_."

"Of course. I'm always thinking. I just can't remember what I was thinking about before I ended up here." He paused. "I must be going insane, talking to a giant whale." He laughed, running his hands over his face. "You know, this isn't as awkward as most people would think it to be. Any good topics for conversation."

"_Now it's wandering_."

"I'm a very fickle person, in case no one has told you." He said. A beat passed before he sighed, folding his hands over his chest. "Hey, remember when we named you?"

"_Yes, you and the white-haired boy argued for hours about it. You were, and still are, the only person that can here my voice_."

"I feel so special." He said, rolling his eyes. "Still, I think that was the first real fight I had with him..."

_"Let's name her 'Umi' for the sea!"_

_"But she's not from the sea, she fell from the sky. So let's call her 'Sora'!"_

_Choutarou pouted at his best friend. They may have only been seven, but every child had their opinions. "She's a whale, and whales come from the ocean!"_

_"Not this one." Hiyoshi argued, looking up at the large mammal. "She said she's from the sky, and she wants to go back."_

_"Whales can't talk, Hiyoshi-kun." Choutarou deadpanned, and Hiyoshi was ready to argue that, yes, whales could talk, before both boys were gripped firmly by the back of their heads, crying out in pain when their skulls collided. Both boys looked up tearfully at Akane, who scowled._

_"If it's so important, then combine them. 'Soraumi' sounds weird, so let's call her 'Umisora'." She nodded, as if it solved everything._

"Akane-san sure knows how to break up an argument." Hiyoshi said, absently rubbing his forehead. "Then again, we _were_ pretty stupid back then. Granted, we still are, but to a new degree." He heard a chuckled, which surprised him because he didn't know whales could laugh.

"_That you are_." he scowled a little, before looking up at the grey sky.

"... Where am I?" He asked, staring up at the clouds that blended in with the dull sky. "I want to go back. I don't know how I got here, but I want to go back. Apologize for whatever stupid stuff I said to Choutarou and get on with what little of my life is left. Maybe even find some time to actually tell Buchou what an idiot he is before I..."

"_Don't die_."

"Heh, not my choice. Never was, never will be." He laughed sadly. "I haven't found it yet, and I'm running out of time."

There was a long silence between the two, before Hiyoshi sat up, pressing his side against the smooth skin of the whale.

"I'm sorry." He said, looking up once more. "I said I'd put you back up there before this contract kills me. Looks like I broke another promise."

"_Another?_" Was the question, and Hiyoshi laughed.

"I promised Choutarou that, if it ever happened, I'd be the best man for his wedding and godfather to whatever kids he had." At this, he laughed loudly. "The things kids come up with. Not like it matters. I can't remember what I did, but I know he hates me."

Another silence before he sighed.

"I guess I'm stuck here." He said, tapping his fingers together. "... It's pretty lonely here." When no response came, he sighed again. "Looks like I'm alone."

_Not strong enough, eh?_ He thought to himself. _Looks like I really am my mother's son, if what grandmother told me was true. Foxes have never been fighters..._

He turned his head slightly, looking at the pale blue color of the body he was leaning on.

"Can you hear me?" He asked. Silence. "Guess not."

_Let's see..._ He thought for a moment, mind whirling. _Foxes strength lies in... their fire. So I need to use my fire? That can't be right. But maybe..._

He turned around quickly, pressing his hands to the smooth surface.

_Heat rises, so..._ He focused his energy to his hands, feeling the slight burn in his palms. _This is the best chance I've got. Sorry if I'm treating you like a balloon_.

He felt the body grow warms, before a bright light flashed before his eyes.

Then, nothing.

"Well, that worked out well." He said, to no one in particular. "Now, what to do..."

xXxXxXx

A/N: I'm really not happy with how this chapter turned out, and it ended up being far more dramatic and anticlimactic than the original. So I've decided to shorten this chapter and just add the next few scenes to the next one, since it's 3 in the morning and I reeeaaally wanna sleep. For those of you who were hoping for a more interesting chapter and ending, well, this is what happens when you force yourself to write. It took me 7 hours to write this, so if you've got any complaints, I'll probably ignore them in favor of self-satisfaction. I will try, I swear, _try_ to get the last chapter up by tomorrow night if I can, but let's face it, I'm not exactly consistent. After this I will focus completely on _**Unseal**_, just cuz I really need to get it over with. But don't worry, even if I fail miserably at the lest chapter of arc 1, hopefully arc 2 will make up for it.


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